Expertise

Director, Rhode Island Sea Grant

Professor, Marine Affairs

Dalton’s research covers a variety of topics, all involving human interactions with marine and coastal environments with a focus on public participation, spatial planning & management, shellfish aquaculture, marine protected areas, and governance of linked social and ecological systems. Recent projects include a study of the social and ecological factors influencing marine protected area performance in the Caribbean, studies of spatial patterns of use in RI coastal waters, a study of the use of monitoring technologies within a coastal and marine context, studies of the impacts of the Block Island Wind Farm on human activities, and a study of public perceptions of shellfish aquaculture in RI. Dalton leverages her expertise and research activity to understand human behavior and its connections to the natural environment to inform community-based approaches and determine successful interventions (education, policy, investment, etc.) to build long-term change for environmental sustainability.